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Action to Renew New Eltham

Posted on 16 July 2015

Following the award of a grant from London Mayor Boris Johnson, Conservative councillors have joined forces with New Eltham Residents’ Association (NERA) and the Community Association of New Eltham (CANE) to help regenerate New Eltham village.

Councillor Nuala Geary led the successful application with John Killick of CANE to secure money from the Mayor’s High-Street fund, designed to improve the capital’s trading centres.

The local project has been called Renew New Eltham and has secured considerable media attention.

A new group, the New Eltham Business Association (NEBA) has also been set up to oversee use of the money and make sure projects are properly implemented. Some improvements are already in place – with flower boxes installed on railings near the station and new planting beds built along Footscray Road. Two village signs have secured planning permission and are currently being prepared for installation later this year.

A village festival is planned for Saturday September 19 and local businesses are being offered the opportunity to apply for funding from the grant to help them improve the look of their premises.

The festival – along the central stretch of Footscray Road – will see shops and traders set up stalls on the street and local community groups will provide entertainment. It will start at 10am and finish at 3pm.

Regular meetings of NEBA are now being held and businesses are contributing ideas to continue the project now the momentum has been established. Councillors John Hills, Mandy Brinkhurst and Matt Hartley, from Coldharbour & New Eltham ward, have joined the other ward members from Eltham South, Councillors Matt Clare and Mark Elliott, to lend their support.

“It’s fantastic to get a project like this started up in our community,” said Councillor Geary. “It wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic contribution from John at CANE, which is chaired by Councillor Hills, and Barbara from NERA, but now the businesses are staring to take the lead, which is exactly what we hoped to achieve.

“There is so much goodwill in New Eltham and energy that this money from the Mayor has helped channel into something positive.”

For details of how to get involved, please contact any of the Eltham South or Coldharbour & New Eltham councillors, CANE or NERA. CANE can be reached on 020 8850 7122.